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Special Session for Illinois Legislature

Illinois lawmakers will be back in Springfield on June 19 after Governor Pat Quinn announced a special session of the state legislature Thursday.

Brooke Anderson, Quinn's spokesperson, said calling lawmakers back was a plan the governor favored all along after they didn't reach a pension deal before adjourning for the summer.

“They need to put a bill on the governor's desk and they can't put a bill on his desk unless they're in Springfield, so that's where they'll be,” Anderson said.

Moody’s Investors Service and Fitch Ratings both downgraded Illinois' credit rating this week because of the pension stalemate.

If we show up for a one-day session with no plan and no legislation ready to go, we will fail

House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago) and Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago) introduced their own pension plans, but neither received support from the other.

Anderson said the governor hopes the June 19 date will serve as a deadline of sorts, with the next two weeks giving them time to find a compromise.

Senator Daniel Biss (D-Evanston), who's been a "go-to" for lawmakers on pensions, also believes an agreement should be in place before lawmakers return to Springfield.

“If we show up for a one-day session with no plan and no legislation ready to go, we will fail,” Bliss said. 

Governor Quinn also called a special session last summer, which failed to result in a pension agreement.